Read Your World: Bilingualism as a Benefit
In order for children to understand diversity and inclusivity, they must be introduced to those concepts early and often. Many parents and educators nowadays understand multilingualism as an asset for children. Brain science reveals the cognitive benefits of second language exposure beginning in early childhood. It creates positive effects in other realms, like memory and creativity, and expands social, global, and career opportunities. It is also helpful for children to hear and read the languages of their ethnic heritage(s) as a way to deepen their connections to their family and culture.
Read Your World is a non-profit that supports caregivers and educators in building a strong foundation of multiculturalism through literature. I was gifted the book Ge Ge and Di Di's Big Day with Elephant (Written in Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English) by Karen Yee of Green Cows Books as part of Read Your World Day 2025, formerly known as Multicultural Children’s Book Day. I’ve participated in this event for a few years, sharing and reviewing titles that support the mission. Find more details and resources at the bottom of this post.
In Ge Ge and Di Di's Big Day with Elephant, two brothers go through a typical day in various settings around their home. The activities they do and locations they visit will be familiar to most kids. Playing outside, eating dinner, and getting ready to sleep - all are part of the daily routine of little readers. This makes the text very relatable and functional. Almost every word or phrase could easily be applied in a typical family’s day-to-day life. This book would be an excellent way to introduce young children to Chinese language. There is even a sweet surprise in the story when bedtime rolls around at the end.
Chinese characters appear next to Mandarin pinyin and English text, color-coded by parts of speech so that specific words can be compared in each language. The large text is easy to read and sentences are simple and repetitive. Even the youngest reader should be able to follow along! Yee also includes lists of vocabulary throughout the book. Each list has the characters, pinyin, and English words for household objects on the page. Readers can use them like an “I Spy” game, naming things in the illustrations.
The ink and watercolor illustrations by Tanja Russita are simple, cheery, and vibrant against a clean white background. The bold, fluid black outlines are reminiscent of traditional Chinese brush painting. These are the exact types of pictures that catch the eyes of young children, but do not make the pages too busy nor distract from the content on the page.
There are three versions of this book available. The Cantonese version has traditional Chinese characters with Jyutping and alternate phonetic pronunciations. The Mandarin book has been printed with either simplified or traditional Chinese characters. Each book has free audio recordings online. These are helpful for mastering pronunciation, especially with a tonal language like Chinese. I was excited to hear that the recording for the Mandarin version of the book was even read by a child!
Yee began creating resources when her children were born, to teach them how to speak Chinese at home. Green Cows Books is an amazing source for many bilingual children’s books and resources. Most titles are Cantonese-English, with some Mandarin-English being published too. Follow @greencowsbooks on Facebook and Instagram.
Read Your World 2025 (1/30/25) is in its 13th year! Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative; they are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural diverse books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
Read Your World’s mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kids’ books celebrating diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our mission and history here.
Read Your World is honored to be supported by these Medallion Sponsors:
🏅FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr (Audreypress.com)
🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media
🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Publisher Spotlight and Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 60 Languages
🏅 Gold Sponsors: Third State Books
🏅 Silver Sponsors: Red Comet Press and Lerner Books
🏅 Silver Corporate Sponsor: Scholastic Books
🏅 Bronze Sponsors: Lee and Low
🏅 Corporate Sponsor: Crayola Education and Scholastic
Read Your World is honored to be supported by these Author Sponsors!
Authors: Stephanie M. Wildman, Martha Seif Simpson, Anna Jennings, Gwen Jackson, Afsaneh Moradian, Josh Funk, Nancy Tupper Ling, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Gea Meijering, Eugenia Chu, Dorktales Story Time, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.², Cynthia Levinson, Diana Huang, Rochelle Melander, Lisa Chong, Lisa Stringfellow, Brunella Costaglioga, Lindsey Rowe Parker, Rachel C. Katz, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Shifa Safadi, Lisa Rogers, Sylvia Liu, Eva Clarke
Read Your World is honored to be supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts and by our Partner Organizations!
Check out RYW’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!
📌 FREE RESOURCES from Read Your World Day:
📌 Register for the Read Your World Virtual Party:
Join us on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 9 pm EST celebrating 13 years of Read Your World Day Virtual Party! Register here.
This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, and reading ideas.
We will be giving away a 10-Book Bundle during the virtual party plus Bonus Prizes! ** US and Global participants are welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, and connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. We look forward to seeing you all on January 30, 2025 at our virtual party!